With the increasing demand for high data rate communications systems, there is an need for improved error detection and correction. In this area of technology, iterative error-correction codes (ECC) such as convolutional turbo codes (CTC), low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, and turbo product codes (TPC) are being considered for various communication applications. The main advantage of these types of codes is that they enable very low bit-error rates (BER) for storage devices or communication links at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). However, as density and speed increases, higher error rates are encountered that are difficult to lower in real time using these techniques.
Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions to these and other problems, and offer other advantages over the prior art.